Jury Selection for John Ray Falk, Jr. Trial Begins October 15th in Bryan

Jury selection for the capital murder trial of TDCJ inmate John Ray Falk, Jr., accused of killing correctional officer Susan Canfield during a 2007 escape, begins October 15th in Bryan. Falk made his final appearance in the 278th District courtroom of Judge Ken Keeling Thursday.

Personal information sheets regarding each potential juror have been given to the prosecution and defense in order for them to prepare. A motion was granted by Judge Keeling to release the evidence from escape accomplice Jerry Duane Martin’s capital murder trial to the state for their use.

A motion was also filed Thursday by Falk’s defense attorney, Michele Esparza of Bryan, to limit the number of TDCJ correctional and law enforcement officers in the courtroom once the trial gets underway. She asked that those assigned to guard Falk wear street clothes. Esparza felt, if they were uniformed, it would affect the fairness of the trial.

Judge Keeling instructed the attorneys that they would need to get together with TDCJ’s transportation and Office of Inspector General to solve the issue previous to Falk’s trial. Keeling said they needed to discuss the issue, that a “large display” of uniformed officers wouldn’t be permitted, but he wasn’t “going to tell them they can’t wear their uniforms when they are required to do so.”